There are no definite answers to what makes a "Good Photograph?" and why is it that some photos are able to leave an impression while others are not. There could be no single answer to the question or hundreds of different opinions. The purpose of the essay is to look at the technical concepts that work behind a photographic image and how they impact the final results. A good photographer must know everything about aperture, shutter speed, depth of field, the exposure and other technicalities to be confident about the results. Anybody can click and take pictures. However, one has to be an expert with the basics to be confident about the results. What distinguishes a good photographer from a bad one is not picture taking, but image making and the preparation one makes before the picture taking (Durrer 2011). One has to be careful about the film to use, what to frame and what angle, the light exposure, etc. The subjects and shooting styles of photographers vary greatly. However, they can still come out with one thing in common and which is a good quality and impressive image. The photographs should be perfect and deeply emotive at the same time. The photographer has to be completely involved in what he is shooting and care about his subject. A quality picture is perfect in its technicalities and can make a connection to the viewer emotionally. A photograph carrying a great subject could get ruined because of a poorly composed technicalities or imperfect exposure. The skills behind photography are getting visually sophisticated because of the increasingly advanced technology. We are surrounded by Visual images, and photography is evaluated based on its performance. A good picture worth more than a thousand words and can make an immediate impact emotionally and intellectually. Photographs are used to convey information, express something, evoke new ideas, or draw attention to a subject.What makes a great picture? What you need to create a great picture are the right camera and a great subject. The camera is made up of several components, and each of them has a significant role to play. The eye of the camera lies in its lens, and the complex element carries many different features. The sensor is the digital correspondent of film, as asserted by Dachas (2) and records the light exposure that comes through the lens. The caliber of the sensor is important as it can impact the quality of the photo. There are different types of shooting modes which may range from full automatic to full manual. There is a lot that goes inside making a great picture and some of those elements are composition, lines, textures and patterns, lighting and its direction along with the color coordination (What Makes a Great Picture 2). What makes a photograph superior to others is its simplicity and the realism it carries, plus the use of right photography techniques. The photographer should focus on the main subject of the image and keep it in sharp focus or apply contrast by choosing complementary colors for the background and the foreground, along with increasing lighting (What Makes a Great Picture 28). One should make the careful color selection of scene by focusing on the time of day, use of colored filters to adjust color balance. Camera settings should be adjusted accordingly to create the right mood by adjusting the focal length, aperture and shutter speeds (What Makes a Great Picture 31). The background elements are important, but they should not serve as a distraction. The subjects of the photo should cover the complete frame, and one should not be afraid to get close and personal to create an intimate image.
The basics of photography
The basics of photography start with the describing the device, its film or light sensor, if the camera is analogical or digital, the lens, aperture, the shutter system, focus control, flashlight, tripod, etc. Depending on the type of camera, the light of the scene and sensibility of the film, the photographer makes adjustments. It is the relationship between the aperture, shutter speed and film that controls the flow of the light as well as handling by the photograph that creates the final impact on the image (Gimena 1).Shutter speed – The role of the shutter speed is to control the amount of light that reaches the film. It is basically a timing mechanism for the exposure control. If one raises the shutter speed, it decreases the exposure and vice versa. The settings can be set in seconds to 1/12000th of a second. Shutter priority allows offers control over the shutter speed and the aperture automatically, which are among the most important consideration when taking a photo. After all, one has to be sure that they can take a photo quick enough to capture motion but do not care about the aperture as observed by Dachas (18). The aperture blades take a certain amount of time to close when the shutter button on the camera is pressed to take a picture. This is called the shutter speed and it is often in a fraction of seconds. When capturing fast motion, the shutter speed needs to be almost 1/300th of a second. Increasing the shutter speed means increasing the length of time for the exposure of the sensor to light. Exposing the sensor to more light is useful in low light situations. It is seen that slow shutter speeds can pose a problem when shooting with a handheld camera or when the subject is moving. This can lead to a blur in the photo as stated by Dachis (28). Generally speaking, one uses a fast shutter speed.Aperture - Aperture is the opening of the diaphragm. Apparently, increasing the aperture allows more light to pass and while decreasing the aperture decreases the amount of light that passes through. Experienced photographers know how to work with shutter speed-aperture. The aperture can create a strong visual impact on the photograph as it is one of the major backing factors to a depth of field. Keep the aperture wide to create a photo in sharp focus but keep the background out of focus and this is useful for portraits. A narrow aperture creates a photograph where most everything is in focus, and this option is great for shooting landscapes. Wider apertures allow in more light as stated by Dachas (19), and this is useful when one doesn’t have much light and want to avoid using a flash. Taking control over aperture is the best way to influence the light sensitivity.The depth of field – Any change in the depth of field affects the way light gets influenced by the aperture. The region of Depth of field carries the sharpest focus, but it should not be confused with the critical plane focus where the actual focus of lens lies. Exposition value is the measurement of the photometer (Gimena 2). The students must first learn to handle the basic concepts of photography and see how they are connected and influence the results. Working with digital Before photography was even discovered, camera obscuras or “dark chambers” were used by the artists, as asserted by Curtin (10). Later developments and improvements continued and today, one lives in the era of Digital cameras and photography. Digital cameras carry the computer power to organize millions of dots known as pixels in those photographs to create the perfect result. According to Curtin (13), the image quality has improved radically over the years, and most people are satisfied with the quality of the photos. The digital cameras are computers basically, that can be programmed to focus, detect faces, and adjust colors and tones, autofocus and a lot more. Professionals and serious amateurs opt for single-lens reflex cameras which can be expensive but carry a significant advantage over others. They can easily change lenses and focus quickly when capturing images with less noise. They can see the scene through the lens and check what they have as observed by Curtin (13). However, Professionals exploring some specialty field want cameras with a larger image sensor with more pixels. In order to get that perfect image and a good photograph, one should be careful about the camera they choose and understand the technicalities behind. Before starting, make sure that the camera is ready. Check the settings at the beginning of a session. The camera should be held in the right hand when taking pictures. Be careful to not to block the sensors, lens, and flash. Zoom in and capture the scene in your lens. Zooming out will widen the angle of the view. Digital cameras come with the feature of Autofocus, and one can compose the image in the viewfinder to get the sharpest coverage. Autoexposure measures light that reflects from various parts and sets for the best possible exposure. If the light is too dim, the autoexposure system gets active and a built-in flash to illuminates the scene. The camera automatically the color cast and balance. The camera can display the image briefly immediately after it is shot. One can change positions and angles to take many shots and get the best picture. Aperture is a difficult concept to follow when learning how the camera works. When one looks at the lens of the camera, they can see an opening where the light comes through. The opening becomes bigger and smaller when the aperture settings are adjusted. The wider the opening more is the aperture that will allow more light in with each exposure. The smaller the aperture, a lesser amount of light is let in. Narrow aperture is repaired under situations where there is too much light (Dachis 25). The right size of aperture depends on the shooting situation and the kind of lens of the camera. Getting the right perspective is very important when photographing a subject straight-on. One can create a distinctive visual impact by moving the camera above, and below or left and right. When the subject is shot from beneath, it makes them appear powerful to the viewer and when shot from above, the same subject looks more diminutive (Dachis 37). Slight positioning above or below at a particular angle can add aggressiveness and passivity to the subject in the picture.Conclusion People often gets caught in the complexities of photography, and this can hinder their creativity. It is true that one should carry a sound knowledge about exposure, aperture, lenses and lighting. However, they should know how to strike a balance between the technical side and the creativity. This is a small step towards taking beautiful pictures and making a good photograph. Practice is the key here, and gradually one develops an eye to capture the right moment the right way. Keep taking more and more photos and hunt for the right light. Get the most favorable light situation and the right timing is just before sunset and after dawn. Hunt for interesting subjects and create new perspectives. A great photograph allows one to see something they have not seen before and connect to them in a new way. Focus on the basics and understand all that is required for Shutter Speed, Aperture, and Depth of field, lenses whether working with manual or automatic camera. Although there are certainly technical aspects to follow when shooting a picture to get best results, it is the emotive content of the picture that should come across. There are some great pictures taken, but they do not carry any life in them. Proper technical aspects of a good photograph include proper exposure, good lighting, color balance, in-focus and sharper image. While the technical factors support the creative essentials of photography, the creative aspects relay on the subject chosen, the background displayed, the lighting condition and the perspective followed in the composition. It is through the creative elements that the photographer captures the story of the image and makes the photograph make a strong connection with the viewer. Keep in mind that it is the person behind the camera who is taking the picture and the camera is just a tool to be controlled.
Works Cited
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